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Firefly 1.05:"Captain, can I have some money to buy a slinky dress?" - My Flesh is Glass and Steel

The Ramblings and Fanfiction of Meredith Bronwen Mallory

WARNING, CONTENTS INCLUDE:

The difficult child. Writer, lesbian, feminist, hyper Jewish girl in combat boots. Suffers from low grade (but entirely justifiable!) paranoia. Draws, writes, jumps rope, programs html, and sings when no one is listening. Devotee of golden-age sci fi pulps, Lovecraft, Japanese language, war fiction, Asian history, and classic movie actresses. Suspicious of authority, ardent defender of the Constitution, refuses to conform to gender constructs. Dances in stairwells, screams in hallways. Approach with caution. Use within thirty days of opening. Do not remove tag under penalty of law.

And yay for my weekly dose of Firefly! Waiting for Friday is something of a drag-- I have birthday money, and am terribly tempted to just buy the series on DVD. But then I'd watch it all in one go and have nothing to tide me over 'til the movie. Decisions, decisions.

I've managed to rope Sam into Firefly, surprisingly enough. He's frightfully embarrassed to have anything to do with the Whedon-verse, simply out of his distain for BtVS. Kaylee, however, has really turned his head, and even beaten out Boomer as his girl-of-the-desktop-wallpaper. ^^; The man has no taste-- Kaylee is awesome, but.. beating Boomer? *Please*.

Anyway...

Firefly 1.05, Shindig: 'I'll buy you a slinky dress. Captain, can I have some money to buy a slinky dress?'

I've been looking forward to this episode, simply because I saw a picture of Kaylee in her foufy dress, and was imagining how cute and kid-in-a-candy-store she'd be at a party. And I was so very right! She was absolutely adorable. I loved the wistful look on her face when she saw the dress, and I adored her, surrounded by men, munching on strawberries and talking shop. This was a really good episode for her character. I was also highly amused when Malcolm went to fetch Kaylee to help him. "She's not speaking to him," I told Sam, before anyone on screen said a word. "I'm not speaking to you," says Kaylee. "See? See!"I also loved the look Zoe gave Mal, when he made fun of Kaylee's starry-eyed look at the boutique. Kaylee really is everyone's little sister.

Seeing Malcolm at the party was interesting. Despite the fact he didn't know how to use a sword, it seemed to me like he did know a few gentlemanly ways (how he held Kaylee's hand, how he danced with Inara) and that intrigues me. I'd like to know more about his background before the Battle of Serenity. He's something of a hero and an anti-hero all rolled into one-- he resents that Truth, Justice and Mercy do not always prevail, even though his better judgment tells him this is simple common sense. He's angry at the galaxy, and he actually has a reason to be. For some reason, he seems to take that anger out on Inara sometimes. I think, to him, her job represents everything he finds reprehensible about The Alliance-- the callous use of people without regard, the politics, the meaningless promises. He also has this 'no one can be mean to you but me' attitude towards Inara. It reminds me a lot of the basis for some Spike/Xander fics but, while this premise doesn't bother me in same sex couples (whether f/f or m/m) it bothers me in heterosexual couples. I guess it's all in how I perceive the balance of power.* Mal/Inara annoys me in particular because, while she has to deal with a certain amount of distain from her customers, she shouldn't have to put up with it from him. I'd have kneed him in the balls a long time ago.**

Inara surprised me a bit in this episode, as well. She's a very kind soul, and I think that's what drew her into this sort of last-ditch profession, but she also displayed a veneer of pretension at the ball that seemed at odds with her open nature. Of course, I don't blame her-- you'd need it, in that job. She seems more willing to compromise, which I think irritates Malcolm. I tend to lean towards his dislike of the 'upper crust' and all that nonsense; it seems to me a waste of time and effort. Inara, however, is an excellent actress, and hey, a girl's gotta do what she can to make ends meet. I did positively *squeal* when she began teaching him to sword fight-- that's the type of female empowerment I adore.

Other cute bits included the Zoe/Wash sexual olympics (I loved his comments about Jayne, the 'dress code' and his poem to her), River pulling a Dru, and Jayne offering to get naked.*** On the completely shallow end, I would have loved to riffle through the set wardrobe for the dance, and Inara looked stunning in her dress. Also, I expect Malcolm, when he recovers, will get his ass re-kicked by Inara for taking Kaylee to that party. ^__^

Still haven't figured out the Chinese influence in the show, though I can read many of the signs, I'm still waiting for something to explain it's pronounced presence in a melting pot culture.

Whew, long entry. Forgive me. ^^; All in all, I can't wait for more!-Meredith

*Yes, I have control issues.**Also, I am violent. ^^***No, Jayne. Please don't.****simply from my experience with Japanese-- they share a character system that evolved on different tracks. Many Japanese characters still use Chinese pronunciation in compound words.

I love the whole dress conversation. That Mal and Jayne just don't get it. But Wash gets to ride the Mule with girls while Jayne and Mal have to walk. All of it. So perfect.

Re: Mal's background. He actually talks very briefly in, um, one or two episodes from now about growing up. I could tell you (it doesn't really spoil anything) or you could just wait. Though I agree with you on being curious for more.

also, I think:Zoe could get nakednoI could get nakedNO

is one of my favorite dialogue bits.

The Chinese idea is simply that China and America were essentially the dominant countries when we had to leave Earth and those two cultures pretty much intermixed to create the outer space civilization. It actually makes some sense. If you look at some of the cities they visit there is Chinese/Eastern influence to dress and such.

Yay Meredith's Friday Firefly entry!Yay, Aby's friday reply! I do so enjoy discussing this show with you. ^__^

That Mal and Jayne just don't get it. But Wash gets to ride the Mule with girls while Jayne and Mal have to walk. All of it. So perfect.Kaylee wanted to be something other than the Ship's Mechanic and 'Little Kaylee' for a while-- that's what playing dress-up is all about. ^_^ I like that Wash went with Xoe and Kaylee too. I think he gets it, though, partly because he's married, and partly because he's such a little kid himself, with his little plastic dinosaurs.

I'll look forward to finding out more about Mal's past. Is the episode "Our Ms. Reynolds"? 'Cause I've heard a lot about that one. ^^

I guess the Chinese bit surprises me because, in my mind, Japan is the more likely candidate. But I'm a bit biased on that count. ^_~ China does make sense in having a large population, and the infrastructure to try and pull it off. I like the Chinese/Eastern influence to dress, and the companion idea definitely has some direct similarities to the geisha trade.